Title 13. Miscellaneous Health Care Programs — Subtitle 41. Maryland Children's Service Animal Program

Is qualified under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;

Has been selected by the Department to provide services under this subtitle.

Refer eligible children who may benefit from participation in the Program to one or more nonprofit training entities;

Provide additional funding mechanisms to assist children participating in the Program; and

Expand treatment of children with a history of trauma or post–traumatic stress disorder or with a developmental disability and special health care need under Title V of the Social Security Act.

Implement a training or therapy protocol for the purposes of the Program that will teach each Program participant methodologies, strategies, and techniques for:

Select qualified Program participants from those eligible children referred to the nonprofit entity under the Program;

Select an appropriate service dog, support dog, or therapy horse, as applicable, for each Program participant;

Facilitate each Program participant’s training or therapy using the nonprofit training entity’s training or therapy protocol; and

Unless the nonprofit training entity uses trained therapy horses, partner each successful Program participant with the service dog or support dog on the Program participant’s successful completion of the nonprofit training entity’s training protocol.

Be based in the State;

Serve the needs of children with a history of trauma or post–traumatic stress disorder or with a developmental disability and special health care need under Title V of the Social Security Act; and

Generate its own revenue and reinvest the proceeds of that revenue in the growth and development of its programs.

Presents a danger to the Program participant’s mental or physical well–being;

Presents a direct threat to others;

Presents a direct threat to the mental or physical well–being of the service dog, support dog, or therapy horse; or

Does not meet the training requirements of the nonprofit training entity.

A nonprofit training entity; and

Administrative costs of the Program.

The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of the State Finance and Procurement Article.

The State Treasurer shall hold the fund separately, and the Comptroller shall account for the Fund.

Revenue collected by the Department in the form of donations to the Program;

Money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund; and

Any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the Fund.